Illusion
by Sketchy Tone
Summary: Everything seemed familiar to Shinichi, yet not. The nagging feeling that he wasn't doing things correctly just wouldn't go away. Before he figured out why, a familiar pain had knocked him out... pre-KaiShin/ShinKai.
1. Familiar Occurrence

**Disclaimer:** Detective Conan & Magic Kaito belong to Aoyama Gosho.

**Ship:** Kaitou KID (Kuroba Kaito) x Edogawa Conan (Kudou Shinichi)

**Words: **1412

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**Chapter 1: Familiar Occurrence**

"_My dearest Meitantei…"_

"_Please don't be reckless again... be happy with Mouri-chan and be safe..."_

* * *

"–ichi."

"–Shinichi!"

"SHIN-I-CHI!"

Kudou Shinichi snapped open his eyes as a sharp voice pierced through his ears and a strong hand slapped his left shoulder. "Ow!" Shinichi let out a yelp and turned to the source of the voice. In front of him was a very furious Mouri Ran.

"You're unbelievable, Shinichi. You managed to fall asleep on a bench in an _amusement park_ of all places. You were supposed to hang out with me to celebrate my karate championship!"

"Sorry, Ran. I pulled an all-nighter reading mystery novel last night…" Shinichi scratched his cheek in embarrassment, while trying to laugh off the fact that he just fell asleep in a noisy public area.

"Hopeless detective geek. Come on! Let's try that roller coaster. That oughta wake you up." With determination, Ran dragged him off the bench towards the nearest attraction.

Shinichi sighed and hurried his footsteps as Ran yanked his arm forward, secretly praying that he won't end up with a pulled arm muscle or two tomorrow. Well, might as well have fun since he was at an amusement park after all, and he did promise Ran that he's going to hang out with her at Tropical Land.

* * *

"The murder weapon was the pearl necklace she had." Shinichi proceeded to explain to Megure-keibu his deduction while carefully laying out all supporting evidences and rationales. Eventually, the mortified murderer was reduced to a crying mess, telling the world why she felt justified to kill the man she once loved and to pin it on the woman who stole him from her.

Shinichi let out a sigh as the culprit was handcuffed and taken away. His mind drafted back to the two suspicious men in black coat, who were also on the same roller coaster. One of them had long blonde hair while the other was wearing shades. There was something about them that really bothered him, like it wasn't his first time seeing those men. The two men left the scene immediately after the culprit admitted her crime, and that raised some red flags in Shinichi's mind. Just when Shinichi was about to take off to look for those men, he felt a tug by his shirt.

"Shinichi…" Shinichi turned around and found Ran appeared to be rather pale, upset, and terrified. It's understandable; after all, Ran doesn't get exposed to crime and murder scenes on a regular basis like he does. The victim from the roller coaster murder case did had a rather gruesome death – beheaded with blood gushed out all over the roller coaster track and what not. "I don't feel very well… can we leave and hang out somewhere else?"

"Okay. I suppose we could go to a café or something so that you can rest for a bit." Ran smiled and nodded lightly at Shinichi's suggestion while Shinichi released a sigh of relief, internally feeling guilty about how Ran's day was ruined by a murder. They were here to celebrate her karate championship! Shinichi followed Ran as Ran began to head to the exit of Tropical Land, forcing his mind to forget about the two suspicious men that caught his attention.

* * *

It's as if he was destined to muddle into those men in black's business.

Shinichi was just leaving the men's washroom before him and Ran head for the long train ride, and he noticed the two suspicious men from earlier talking, more like interrogating, a shorter man. The other man seemed to be a businessman and had a frightened expression on him. That's when Shinichi noticed an irregularly shaped bump by the blonde man's hip, which alarmingly resembled a gun. A voice nagged in Shinichi's head, telling him that the businessman might be in danger and he should try to find a way to help him, while another voice in his head told him to mind his own business and how he needed to stop making Ran wait. Shinichi winced at his train of thought – did he make Ran wait for him all the time? He was just going to the washroom, so it's not like it'd take a decade. When they went out together he was usually early, so why would that nagging voice insisted that he had already made Ran wait long enough? His thought was interrupted as Ran grabbed his arm.

"Shinichi? Are you okay?" Ran looked at him worriedly.

"Oh, Ran…" Shinichi turned his head towards the direction where the men in black and the businessman disappeared to, and decided that he should follow them to find out more. "Ran, I'm sorry. There's something I need to do right now. Will you be able to head home yourself?"

Shinichi noted that Ran's expression suddenly darkened, and she started staring at the floor. "Shinichi, what do you intend to do?"

Shinichi blinked at Ran's expression and the rather obscure question. Following those men might be dangerous and he didn't want Ran to come with him, though. "It's nothing much, Ran. I don't think it'd interest you."

Ran closed her eyes momentarily before opening them again, and her eyes were gleamed with determination. Strangely, it appeared that her eyes had flashed a light shade of violet briefly, Shinichi mused. "If it's nothing much, then why don't you leave with me? You promised to hang out with me today, Shinichi."

"Well…" Shinichi now felt torn between fulfilling his sense of righteousness and keeping his childhood friend from getting more upset. It was also rather weird that Ran was being much more persistent than usual. He figured that he'd have to tell the truth to convince Ran to let him go. "Ran, you see, I just spotted these suspicious men over there and someone might need help. I need to go check it out to make sure nothing bad happens."

"What if something bad happens to you by following them?" Ran countered.

"I will be fine! I–"

"No, Shinichi. Don't go. Please." Ran continued to plead, and at the same time, grabbed both of Shinichi's arms to get her point across. "If you think that someone might be in danger, why don't you give Megure-keibu a call? He might still be in the area. It's not safe to run off– argh…" Ran suddenly kneeled down and pressed her right hand on her forehead, and sweat started to dribble down her face. "Dizzy…"

Shinichi immediately caught Ran to make sure she doesn't fall to the ground. "Ran! Are you all right? Here, let's set you down first…" He then carefully helped Ran up and walked her to a nearby bench, while supporting her via her shoulders. As Ran rested her head on the back rest, Shinichi proceeded to phone Megure-keibu and explain what he saw to him, in hopes that something can be done to help the businessman. After he finished the phone call, he turned to Ran and Ran opened her eyes again, appearing to be less pale than she was moments ago. Sweat was no longer dribbling down her face. "Ran, are you feeling better now? What happened?"

Ran looked at him with a soft smile on her face. "I'm feeling okay now. I just suddenly felt dizzy earlier, that's all. I guess the dead body from earlier was getting to me."

"I think we should get you home instead so that you can get some rest. We will hang out again next time." Shinichi helped Ran get up, allowing her to regain her balance and to steady her feet. The two of them then slowly headed to the exit of Tropical Land, yet Shinichi couldn't help but glance back at the area where the two suspicious men and their supposedly victim probably still were. He had this nagging feeling that he really should've gone after those men despite Ran's protest, and he couldn't explain why. It's as if he somehow knew those men, and going after those men might provide him with information that he had been eagerly looking for– Shinichi shook his head to get rid of the thought. He was being silly, he mused. It's the first time he had ever seen those men, and he already asked Megure-keibu to follow-up. He could just ask the inspector for an update later. Right now, his primary concern should be getting Ran home safely. He'd have to make it up with her later for ruining her day.

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading and please review! If there're any mistakes, please let me know. Big thanks to everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed/reviewed my other stories ^_^

This story feels rather ShinRan right now, but I assure you it's KaiShin. Next chapter will be up in hopefully two weeks (if school didn't kill me, that is). There will probably be three or four chapters max.

Story name "Illusion" came from GARNET CROW's 23rd single _Maboroshi_ (Illusion). While the lyrics don't fit this fic, the music certainly does, so check it out if you have a chance! =3 _Maboroshi_ has been one of my personal favourites for years.


	2. Lost Feelings

**Words: **2003

**A/N: **Wrote this in a rush to get it out as soon as I could, so please excuse the limited editing!

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**Chapter 2: Lost Feelings**

"Shinichi-kun!"

Shinichi was reading a mystery novel during recess as usual when he was interrupted by a chipper voice. He didn't need to turn around to find that it was Ran's personal matchmaker, as she proclaimed. "Yes, Sonoko?"

Suzuki Sonoko rolled her eyes at his novel before she plucked it out of his hand and continued. "Well, Mr. Detective-of-the-East, I have a case here for you. I can guarantee it'd be ten times more interesting than these novels you indulge on a daily basis."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow but made no move to get his novel back. He was pretty sure she would hand it back once she's done talking. "What case?"

With a smile, Sonoko reached into her uniform's pocket and took out a piece of photocopied paper. "Have you heard of Phantom Thief 1412?"

The name rang a bell, but he couldn't seem to recall where he had heard of it before. The weird part was, somehow that name felt rather nostalgic. He never took any interest in thieves though, so why would this particular name sounded awfully familiar? "I might have but I'm not sure. Care to elaborate?"

"We received a thievery notice from the famous Phantom Thief 1412, who is also known as the Magician under the Moonlight. According to the notice, he is after the _Black Star_, which is a black pearl owned by my family. That's the bits and pieces the police managed to decode for now anyway." Sonoko said as she pointed to the words on the paper. "As you can see, the notice was written in codes, so I thought you might be interested in decoding the rest of it for us. After all, you're a detective geek, right? Even better if you can catch him and let me see his face! According to rumours, he's supposed to be a handsome gentleman and– Eh?" Sonoko jumped in surprised as Ran grabbed her shoulder from behind to peek at the notice.

"A thievery notice? As far as I know, Shinichi wasn't interested in thieves…" Ran frowned as she retrieved the novel from Sonoko and handed it back to Shinichi. "Shinichi, you're more interested in murder cases, right?"

Shinichi blinked as he grabbed his novel from Ran. Did he ever tell Ran that? But it's true that he wasn't interested in thievery in general, and most of the cases he solved were murder cases. "Yeah, but the code seems interesting so I don't mind giving Sonoko a hand–" Before Shinichi even finished, he realized that Ran was blushing and whispering something into Sonoko's ear, and slowly a cheeky smile plastered itself across Sonoko's face.

"Never mind, Shinichi-kun! It's all right! I'm sure the police will eventually figure it out, and Ran's dad can help. Thanks for offering though!" With a grin, Sonoko stuffed the thievery notice into her school bag. "Just keep indulging yourself with your novel and forget about the code!" After she finished, she immediately dragged a rather embarrassed looking Ran out the classroom.

"Uhh, what's going on here?" Shinichi mused as he flipped through his novel again, yet his mind lingered onto the paper that was currently sitting in the side pocket of Sonoko's bag. A code that the police have yet to decode sounded intriguing indeed. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Shinichi quickly checked to make sure Ran and Sonoko were still outside, hastily snagged the paper out of the bag, and promptly took a snapshot of the code with his phone before slipping it back. For some reason, it seemed Ran didn't want him to see the code, so he'll just have to look at it later after he gets home.

* * *

In the afternoon, Shinichi found himself at a dessert café with Ran. He had ordered himself lemon pie with black coffee, and ordered Ran strawberry shortcake with chrysanthemum tea. There was something weird about Ran; she didn't seem to be her usual self. Ever since the incidence with Sonoko earlier, she had been acting rather weird. Even in the duration of their stay in the café, she had been fidgeting and had dropped her fork a few times. Was she still upset about the murder that happened over the weekend, or did Sonoko say something that bothered her?

Upon a closer inspection, it seemed Ran was feeling uncertain or nervous about something. She hadn't spoke at all since she started eating her dessert, and she had just let him rumble on and on about Sherlock Holmes and the recent case Megure-keibu passed to him, instead of telling him to shut up or calling him a detective geek. She had been sparing glimpses at him while eating, but quickly looked away when he stopped to glance at her. Somehow, he had a feeling that he should know why Ran was acting this way, yet he couldn't seem to dig the answer out of his head. Well, might as well give Ran an opening to talk about it. "Ran? Is there something on my face?"

Ran blinked at him for a moment and then chuckled. "No, there isn't. Why?"

"I have a feeling that you weren't acting your usual self today, and you have been staring at me for quite a while."

Shinichi watched as Ran remained quiet, picked up her tea cup, closed her eyes, and took a few sips of her tea. Once she put the cup down and opened her eyes again, it appeared her eyes had briefly flashed a light gleam of violet, and she was looking at him straight at the eyes. The previous nervousness and fidgetiness were gone and replaced by seriousness and fortitude. "How long have we known each other, Shinichi?"

"I would say for as long as I can remember. Why?"

"I was just wondering… have you ever considered the possibility that we could be more than just childhood friends?" As soon as Ran finished, a slight blush covered her cheeks while she attempted to hide it by taking another bite of her dessert.

"I…" Shinichi closed his mouth to keep himself from saying anything inappropriate. He was surprised, but at the same time he wasn't. He might be extremely dense (according to Sonoko), but he knew that he had a special place in Ran's heart. He was actually planning to officially ask her out on her birthday in a few weeks. It was the right thing to do, as he and Ran had been very close with each other, heck, even closer than he and his parents had been in some sense. He was just about to say that he had indeed considered that, and would like to ask her to be his girlfriend, when a thought stumped him. Did he really like her in the romantic sense? He was pretty certain that he did, but somehow that might have changed over the past few weeks, and he couldn't seem to understand why that would happen. A voice nagged at the back of his mind saying that it didn't matter, because that's what Ran had been waiting for all these times, yet another voice insisted that he should stay true to his current feelings, and it'd be disrespectful to Ran if he said yes while he was having doubts. He also had an awkward feeling that if he had said yes, he'd lose someone even more important, though he wasn't sure who that would be. Shinichi looked at Ran again, who was currently slowly chewing away her dessert and avoiding his gaze. He had made up his mind. "I-I'm not sure, Ran."

Ran immediately faced him again, shock clearly visible on her expression. "W-what do you mean, Shinichi? That you're not sure?"

Shinichi bit the insides of his mouth nervously. He didn't want to hurt Ran, but… "I think you're more like a family, or an older sister to me. While I'm not sure why I'm feeling that way, I'm quite certain that I don't have a romantic interest in you at the moment. I'm sorry, I really am…" He immediately closed his eyes and turned away, fearing to see Ran's hurt expression.

"But Shinichi, I– urgh…" Ran was about to stand up to say something, but instead, she collapsed back into her seat, her right hand firmly pressing her forehead. Upon hearing the sound, Shinichi immediately left his seat to hold Ran, making sure she doesn't fall.

"Ran! Are you all right?" Shinichi looked over Ran and realized that she was looking pale, and sweats were forming by her temple. It was exactly how she looked like after the murder case at Tropical Land. "Maybe we should go see a doctor now-"

Ran held up her left hand to stop Shinichi from speaking further. Her eyes were still closed and her right hand still rubbing her forehead. "Don't worry, I'm all right, really… Shinichi, tell me, is it because there is someone else you liked?"

"I don't think so… not that I know of, anyway." Shinichi didn't like his vague answer, but it's the best he could think of at the moment. "Anyhow Ran, if you don't want to see a doctor, then let me walk you home at least. You really don't look fine to me…"

Ran took a few deep breaths to even her breathing before she stood up and steadied herself with Shinichi's help. Although she still looked rather shocked, she didn't look too hurt, Shinichi mused. The last thing he wanted would be Ran bursting into tears in front of him. He would have no idea how to comfort her if that were to happen. Besides, Ran had always struck him as someone with a strong heart, so she should be able to get over it eventually. Ran looked at him again with a weak smile and held out her hand for him to take. "Okay, let's go, Shinichi."

* * *

After walking Ran to the Mouri Detective Agency, Shinichi was back home, sitting in the library and staring blankly at his homework. On their way, he anxiously asked Ran if they were still friends, which earned him a burst of laughter. Ran gave him the assurance that yes, they were still best friends, and even jokingly said that perhaps he could start calling her Ran-neechan or something, because seeing how he said he thought of her like an older sister. Shinichi was glad that Ran was compassionate and their friendship wasn't severed.

Decided to set his thoughts about Ran aside, Shinichi pulled out his phone to check the thievery notice from Phantom Thief 1412. The notice was indeed a rather interesting one, as it was written in an artistic and poetic manner. Besides, who the heck would send a thievery notice before they steal something nowadays? Either this thief was overly confident in his skills, or he enjoyed mocking the police. Probably both. Determined to decode the notice down to the very last bits, Shinichi began to dig through his father's criminal files and search on the internet for information regarding the elusive phantom thief. His homework left neglected on the desk.

After hours of research, Shinichi set his notes aside, satisfied that he had figured out the when and where as well as the other details from the notice. There was something that bugged Shinichi during his research though. It's as if it wasn't his first time going through these materials or solving a similar code, even though he was certain that he had never met this Phantom Thief 1412, better known as Kaitou KID, before. He even found some of them nostalgic, and he had this strange feeling that he knew more about the thief than all the resources he read combined.

Since there was still time before KID's appearance time stated in the notice, Shinichi decided to wrap up his homework and have dinner before heading out. While he still had questions and odd thoughts about the thief, he figured that perhaps by meeting the thief, he could get some of it sorted out.

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading and please review! If there're any mistakes, please let me know. Big thanks to _foreverandeveralone, MConanfan0327, Mai-chan63, Athina Dark-Angel of Death, perfectly flawed woman, _and _Ann Saotomo_ for reviewing, and everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed this ^_^

Kaito will finally appear next chapter! I think I need to work on being more concise. I find I'm being overly detailed and the story just seems to drag on… this story was originally meant to be drabble #5 in _Spiral_ and I'm only half way there *face-palm*.

Chapter name came from GARNET CROW's _lose feeling_, slightly changed for grammatical correctness.

Next chapter will be up in a week or two hopefully, depending on how school goes…


	3. Convoluted Encounter

**Words: **1673

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**Chapter 3: Convoluted Encounter**

The clock had struck 00:25, and Shinichi was at the rooftop of Haido City Hotel. If the notice was decoded correctly, Kaitou KID should appear any moment. On his way here, he noticed police cars in the area, so he tried to be as discreet as possible to avoid drawing attention. After all, he intended to greet the elusive phantom thief privately.

Everything was starting to feel incredibly surreal, he mused. He had a feeling that it wasn't his first time looking at the beautiful night scenery beneath him and enjoying the cool night breeze brushing through him, while waiting for and searching for a certain someone under such circumstances. On top of that, he couldn't explain the strange anticipation and eagerness he was having. It was different from the excitement he usually felt when he solved a murder, revealed the truth, and brought the culprit to the hands of justice. He couldn't find the right descriptions to fit the unique sensation that's currently occupying his mind. Before Shinichi's thoughts could proceed further, quiet footsteps behind him caught his attention. Shinichi turned around and found that he was greeted by the barrel of a silver gun, merely a foot from his forehead.

"Good evening, Mr. Detective."

Shinichi started to analyze the assailant in front of him. White suit, white mantle, blue dress shirt and red tie, with his facial features shielded by a white silk hat and a monocle on his right eye, and a fearless smile across his face. Exactly like what his resources stated about the appearance of the mysterious Kaitou KID. In other words, he had deciphered the notice correctly. The detective could feel a surge of adrenaline through him as his heart beat picked up its pace. It's surprising how even in the face of a gun, he didn't feel any fear. "Good evening. I suppose you're Kaitou KID, correct? How did you know that I'm a detective?"

The white thief in front of him grinned; his left hand remained in his pants' pocket while right hand remained firmly holding his gun's hand grip. "Kudou Shinichi. Detective of the East. The Heisei Holmes. The Saviour of Japan Police Force. I'm sure everyone in Japan has heard of someone as well-known as you."

"I'm honoured to be recognized by an internationally famous phantom thief. Now if you don't mind, I'd be grateful if you could put your weapon away, and perhaps we could have a little chat?" Shinichi remained his composure, with confidence brimming in his eyes. Shinichi noticed that although Kaitou KID had appeared since 18 years ago, he seemed to be quite youthful, perhaps even around his age.

KID's smile faded into an unreadable expression. "I don't think it would be logical for anyone to withhold their weapon in front of an enemy. Anyhow, Detective Kudou, I strongly recommend that you leave and get out of my way."

"What kind of detective would leave just because a criminal told them to?"

To show his seriousness, KID positioned his forefinger on the trigger of his gun, ready to fire any time. "If you don't, I will have to do it by force."

"From what I've heard, Kaitou KID had a 'no one gets hurt' code of conduct."

"And I'd really appreciate it if I don't end up breaking it tonight."

"Why would it be necessary for me to leave, when you don't intent to steal the _Black Star_? Your notice said it was 'April's Fool', so I presume that you weren't planning on taking it tonight. There's no evidence for me-" Before Shinichi could finish, a razor-sharp card flew by his head, slicing away few strands of his hair.

"I'm not going to repeat myself again. Leave." KID said as he repositioned his gun to point directly at Shinichi's forehead once again, to illustrate his determination.

Shinichi paused as a cold sweat ran down his cheek. He could tell that KID was serious about the part that he wanted him to leave, but definitely not the part about hurting him. He wasn't sure why he was confident on that matter despite the thief just fired a warning shot at him. There was a nagging feeling in him that told him to just do as he was told, yet his curiosity won't let him let go of this great mystery in front of him. "No, I won't leave."

KID frowned, appeared to be troubled by Shinichi's firmness and how his threats were disregarded. "You- argh…" The phantom thief suddenly kneeled down, with his left hand pressing onto his forehead and his right hand withdrawing the gun from Shinichi. Shinichi noticed the big frown and the pained expression the thief was wearing, and that sent a jolt of worry through him. Somehow the thief's behaviour was oddly familiar; it reminded him of Ran, who recently collapsed twice in front of him. Just when he was about to approach KID to offer help, the phantom thief immediately brought his gun up again.

"…back off from me." KID growled as he glared at Shinichi, but Shinichi could tell that the thief was still in some sort of pain or discomfort, from the way that he was still kneeling on one leg, and his left hand still rubbing his forehead. Moreover, the confident and fearless aura that originally surrounded the thief was completely gone; it's as if he was cornered and trapped with no way out.

"You don't look well. I promise I'm not going to catch you today, so let me help you." Shinichi tried to approach KID again, this time with both of his arms up, in hopes of getting the thief to let his guard down. He wasn't sure why he couldn't resist the urge to help the thief, even though they didn't know each other. It just didn't feel right to leave someone who appeared hurt and vulnerable alone, even if they are criminals. Besides, none of the questions he brought with him were sorted out; he actually felt even more confused than before, as his encounter with the elusive thief was odder than anything he had experienced.

Instead of focusing on Shinichi, KID was now scanning around the surrounding buildings, as if he was looking for something. After a few seconds, a small smile showed itself on the thief's expression, as though he was satisfied and found what he wanted. "May I ask you for a favour?" KID spoke again, this time he had dropped his gun onto the floor, but his left hand was still firmly pressing his temples as sweats rolled down his face, and he appeared paler than before. "Could you turn around for just… a minute or two? I promise I won't attack or anything. After that you can do whatever you want with me." The way KID spoke, it was like he was trying to make a plea, Shinichi noted. KID gave him a very sincere impression, so Shinichi decided to trust his words, no matter how dangerous it could be.

"All right. I trust you." Shinichi replied as he turned around, putting his arms back to his sides. He could hear KID let out a soft sign of relief, and then silence took over between them. Shinichi wasn't sure what the thief was going to do in a minute or two. Perhaps he wanted to run away? But it was too quiet; considering the fact that KID appeared unwell, he doubted that he could make a completely soundless escape. As the seconds ticked by, there was a nagging feeling within Shinichi that urged him to turn around and check on the thief. After all, he had nothing to lose. He wasn't planning on catching the thief anyway so even if he fled, he could just track him down next time. He trusted that the thief wouldn't attack him, because he would have done so the second Shinichi turned his back to him.

Having made up his mind, Shinichi slowly turned around, a bit surprised to find that KID was in the same kneeled position as before, except that his eyelids were shut tight. It looked like as if KID was bracing himself from something, as he had clutched his hands into a fist- Then Shinichi noticed a red laser beam slowly creeping onto the side of KID's face. A sniper! Was the thief expecting that?!

Before Shinichi knew it, he dashed towards KID to push him out of the incoming bullet's track. After hearing a surprised yelp from KID, Shinichi felt a familiar sharp pain piercing through his left chest. Oh crap, the sniper got him instead, eh? He could feel blood starting to flow through his trachea and into his mouth, making breathing difficult, and he couldn't help but cough violently to clear the blood from his airway. The next thing he heard was KID's frantic swearing as he was caught and picked up by KID, who seemed to have immediately teleported them indoor, probably to prevent the sniper from striking again.

"Why did you have to turn around, Meitantei? I was so close…!" Shinichi could feel KID's arms tightened around him, and his breaths right next to his face. Despite the pain radiating through his chest and his laboured breathing, Shinichi somehow couldn't help but smile as KID rumbled on and on about how reckless he was and how he never do things as he was told. Why did KID's lecturing and embrace felt so familiar? Then suddenly he felt something wet on his face, and KID's words started to sound rather muffled. Was KID crying because he was hurt? He wanted to tell KID that he was okay, but he didn't seem to have any strength left to speak. And what did KID just call him? Meitantei? Somehow that sounded awfully familiar too-

Shinichi's eyes widened as the fog cleared from his mind, and all senses of familiarity erupted inside him.

_Right. _

_KID. Kuroba Kaito._

_And I'm…_

Before Shinichi could continue his thought, everything around him was swallowed by darkness.

_TBC._

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**Afterword: **Thanks for reading and please review! If there're any mistakes, please let me know. Big thanks to _Mai-chan63, foreverandeveralone, MConanfan0327, DetectiveConanFan13, perfectly flawed woman, Alaena F. Dragonstar, and Midnight1906 _for reviewing, and everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed this ^_^

I hope I did okay with this chapter with my current craptastic mood. My instructor had her eyes on me ever since the mistake I made on the first day of class… it's stressful OTL

Next update will hopefully be on Sept 10 – Kudou Day~ It will probably be the last chapter (boring explanations and what not lol). But before that I need to finish a paper first ;A;


	4. Silent Wish

**Words: **1841

**A/N:** **~Happy Kudou (910) Day~** I made it! This entire chapter is a flash back from Kaito's POV. Timeline-wise it's chapter 0.

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**Chapter 4: Silent Wish**

"Tantei-kun!"

KID watched in horror as a bullet pierced through the small boy's left chest in front of him. The boy had noticed the sniper before he did, and had pushed him out of the bullet's trajectory. The boy who saved him, however, took the shot instead.

Snapping out from gaping in shock, KID immediately picked up the bleeding boy, set up his hang glider, and took off towards the closest hospital while applying pressure on the boy's wound and covering the boy from being seen. The nearby traffic was completely congested with spectators and KID fans, so no other emergency services could get near. Fortunately, Nakamori-keibu noticed the sniper and already directed his task force to take action, so he wouldn't have to worry about another strike while he was flying. KID could feel his heart stung as the limp and clammy boy coughed again, in attempt to clear the blood from his airway.

"K-Kuroba…"

"We're almost at the hospital, hang in there!"

"I-I'm fine… don't w-worry…"

"You're not fine! Just stop talking!"

_Kudou Shinichi is really unbelievable_, KID mused. Instead of worrying about his own well being, he opted to reassure the thief instead. How selfless can this guy get?

* * *

Kuroba Kaito slipped in quietly and took a seat next to Edogawa Conan, who was currently sleeping peacefully on a hospital bed in Beika General Hospital. Because it was after visiting hours, Conan's friends already left. According to the doctor, the bullet had pierced through Conan's left lung, and just barely missed his heart. While his injury was serious, it was all fixable by the surgery, and Conan would fully recover after some post-operation treatment and several weeks of good rest.

Kaito stared at all the equipments currently hooked up to Conan. There were an IV line administering prophylactic antibiotics via his left arm, a PCA pump line allowing analgesia access via his right arm, a chest tube connected to his lower left chest draining remaining blood from his pleural cavity, and a machine monitoring his vital signs regularly. There were also two big dressings in the front and back of his chest, covering the surgical and gunshot wounds. He had always thought of the detective as a companion on the equal caliber and treated him as such, but this time it really hit home badly. The energetic and confidence aura normally around the boy was completely replaced by paleness and fatigue. The shrunken detective looked so vulnerable being bedridden like this. Edogawa Conan might have a brilliant mind just like his, but right now he was stuck in a child's body, and had his physical limitations.

It made Kaito reconsider about whether or not dragging the detective into his affairs was a good idea.

It's true that the two of them had common enemies, and that's why they had joined forces in taking down the black organization. He enjoyed the time he spent hanging out with the detective. But if working together meant causing harm… Kaito's thought was interrupted by a quiet moan from the boy right next to him.

"Tantei-kun? How're you feeling?"

Blue eyes flickered as its owner faced him. "Hey Kuroba. I'm feeling okay-" Conan immediately winced from the pain. Hmm, he's definitely not feeling okay.

"Don't move too much. You just had a surgery… Use this to get some painkiller." Kaito passed the PCA pump control to Conan, feeling less tense as Conan relaxed with the pain relief.

"Was the sniper caught?" Conan looked up, already back to business.

"Nakamori-keibu and the task force did manage to corner him, but he shot himself right away… and Snake escaped."

"Damn it…" Kaito could tell the disappointment and frustration in Conan's tone, and that just worried him even further. Shouldn't the boy detective be worried about his own well-being, rather than kicking right back into detective mode? He was shot just hours ago!

"Kudou?" Conan immediately focused on him again, knowing that he had something serious to say. "I'm really sorry about what happened…"

Conan raised an eyebrow. "Why? It's not your fault."

Kaito shook his head. "But if I was more careful and observant, I could have prevented it. Then you wouldn't be here with a gunshot wound. We were lucky that it wasn't a fatal one… Anyhow, you should just rest and stop thinking about all these while I figure something out in the mean time. I'll visit you again tomorrow–" Just as Kaito was getting up to leave, he was surprised by a light tug on his jacket.

"Kuroba, stop beating yourself over it. Accidents happen all the time. We'll make better plans and get them for real next time, okay? You should get some rest too instead of pushing yourself." Conan smiled, grabbed Kaito's hand and squeezed it, to give him further reassurance.

Kaito let out a quiet sigh. Who is the patient here again? Why was he the one being reassured when he wasn't the one stuck in a hospital bed for the next few weeks? The detective was amazingly considerate and altruistic, and even when he was hurt and down, he still maintained his determination and sharpness – It must be these special qualities that had captured Kaito's heart. Since when did the detective started occupying his mind, he had no idea. Kaito smiled and raised both of his arms up as if to surrender. "Okay, I promise that I'm gonna go home, play with my doves, and then sleep to my heart's content. Would you like me to bring you something tomorrow?"

Conan smiled again and let go of his hand. "Shinmei Kaori's newest mystery novel would be nice…"

_Of course, what else? _Kaito laughed and gestured a mock-salute. "Yes sir!"

* * *

Kaito had been visiting Conan regularly after school every day. They would chit-chat about anything they could think of, but not so much about the black organization. Kaito found that he had been avoiding the topic whenever the detective brought it up. Conan must have noticed, but it seemed he was going to let it slide until Kaito felt ready to discuss further. Kaito wondered if his reluctance to advance their plans had to do with his fear that the boy might get hurt again, or worse, lose his life in the process. While Kaito did feel relieved that the detective was making adequate progress with his recovery, and that he was greeted by a warm smile every time he visited, he couldn't help but feel guilty about the incident.

It seemed that he was worrying Nakamori Aoko and Hakuba Saguru as well. According to Hakuba, Kaito was not being his usual self, evident by the "statically significant decrease in prank occurrences for the past seven days, 14 hours, and 12 seconds." Aoko was also surprised that Kaito didn't bother flipping her skirt at all for the past week (yet she beats him up with her mop-fu whenever he does it, _girls, they complain about everything_, Kaito internally grumbled).

While he expected to get weird looks for acting unusually well-behaved, he certainly didn't expect their class witch Koizumi Akako to sneak up on him with the following words.

"Tell Kaitou KID to come to my place tonight, if he wants to help his precious light."

* * *

Kaito was staring at the teardrop-shaped amethyst crystal pendant, _Reverse Paradox_, in his palm while standing in Conan's hospital room with Akako. He snuck the pendant out from the Ancient Orient Museum in Ikebukuro and left a replica behind. It was the first time he had stolen something without sending a notice, but since he wasn't sure if he would be able to return it, it was safer to not associate KID with it. Besides, it's not like Nakamori-keibu would believe that KID'd steal a piece of quartz from such a small local museum anyway.

It was mindboggling how the witch knew everything that happened during the heist, despite that was no media coverage of the shooting. Everything, other than the fact that KID successfully took the heist target, remained confidential due to the severity of the case. According to Akako, the amethyst pendant had a mystical origin, and it's said to be able to reverse regrettable decisions made in the past if used correctly. He knew that by following Akako's instructions, he would essentially be admitting that KID was his hidden persona, but at this point, nothing was more important than the detective in front of him. He had been worried that something worse might happen to Conan again, and he was willing to do anything to ensure his safety, even if it meant owing the witch a big favour.

"I must say I'm surprised, Kuroba-kun… A _detective_ out of all people?" Akako tilted her head slightly in amusement while examining the little sleeping detective, who Kaito drugged earlier to prevent interruptions.

Akako's playful smirk sent chills down Kaito's spine. He could deny her implications but that wouldn't be a smart move, considering he was the one asking for a favour here. He might as well let her tease him and get it over with. "So what? Last I checked there isn't a rule stating that a phantom thief can't like a detective…" Even if such rule existed, he wouldn't give a damn about it. Akako's chuckles got louder as his cheeks grew redder, and he simply ignored them.

"Well, shall we start then?" Akako gestured Kaito to sit next to Conan, while placing her hand over Kaito's and Conan's hands, along with the pendant. "I'm not exactly sure how it's gonna be like, but the pendant will guide you once it's activated. Just keep what you want in mind and it should work out. If everything were to happen as you wish, you'll cease to exist in his life once this is over."

"Okay, I understand. Thanks, Akako." Kaito smiled and looked down at Conan's sleeping face. He didn't want the boy to be hurt again because of him, and he knew how much trouble Conan had to go through being stuck in a child's body. Furthermore, he was aware the detective liked Mouri Ran, but couldn't tell her because of the circumstances. Kaito knew his feelings would never be returned, so it's in the best interest for both of them if they never met to begin with, right? There was something else he wanted to know, though, and he turned to Akako. "I'm just curious, why did you offer to help anyway?"

Akako's expression turned into an indecipherable grin as she gazed at him, and narrowed her eyes. "Let's just say if this works out, I may gain something from it as well, and leave it at that." Akako then closed her eyes and began to recite spells in a language that Kaito couldn't recognize. Slowly, the pendant in his hand started to glow, and as Kaito shifted his mind to focus fully on his wish for Conan, he could feel his consciousness slipping away.

_My dearest Meitantei… _

_Please don't be reckless again… be happy with Mouri-chan and be safe…_

_TBC._

* * *

**Afterword: **Thanks for reading and please review! If there're any mistakes, please let me know. Big thanks to _Danielle Rivers, foreverandeveralone, James Birdsong, Mai-chan63, Midnight1906, DetectiveConanFan13, Athina Dark-Angel of Death, MConanfan0327 _and_ perfectly flawed woman _for reviewing chapter 3, and everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed this ^_^

I know I said it'd be the last chapter… but it got longer than expected, so there is still one more chapter to go. Sorry if you were disappointed XD; I think it's pretty clear what happened in chapter 1-3 now, and the next update should wrap everything up. ^_^ This chapter was pretty hard to write though, it took me a long time… I'm not sure when I can update next (school is starting to get really busy), but definitely before September ends!

PS: Someone asked about "Kudou Day," so here is a brief explanation. You need some basic knowledge of Japanese to fully understand why 910 = Kudou. In short, some character names can be "translated" into numbers. Kudou "translates" into 910, hence September 10th is Kudou Day XD; If you were wondering why some Shinichi/Conan Japanese fanarts had 910 in the background, that would be why.

Kuroba - 968  
Hattori - 810  
Hakuba - 898


	5. Final Realization

**Words: **2205

**A/N: **Sorry this took so long! I kept changing my mind. It's substantially different from what I originally had in mind when I started. OTL

* * *

**Chapter 5: Final Realization**

Kudou Shinichi felt like he was swimming in a spiral of questions with little control over his surroundings. One moment he was walking down an illusion of his envisioned past, where he never followed Gin and Vodka, never shrank, and lived a happily ever after life with Ran. Another moment he was trying to remember a piece of blurred white puzzle that didn't belong to his envisioned past, but had blended into an inseparable piece of his current self. All of a sudden, everything around him stopped and disappeared. At a blink, he found Edogawa Conan in front of him, one of his hand holding a four-leaf clover, and the other hand reaching out to him. Behind him, there was a small field of blossoming pink orchids, with a couple of dancing butterflies. Conan opened his mouth as if to say something, but no voice could be heard by Shinichi. The bespectacled child then frowned, gestured Shinichi to follow his lip movement, and slowly repeated his words.

_Will you come, or will you stay?_

Shinichi smiled. He had already made up his mind before this final question was presented to him. Despite all the prompts that tried to lead him to stay away from danger and to be safe with Ran, he had chosen to chase after the thrill, suspense, and risks that come with being a detective, essentially who he was. Moreover, if he wasn't turned into Conan, he wouldn't have established relationships with all the different people and experienced the new aspect of living. Most important of all, he wouldn't have met that one person who had become an integral part of his life. He had no doubt that he wouldn't want to forget him, and he wouldn't hesitate to protect him at all cost. Shinichi knelt down, pulled Conan into an embrace, and whispered his response into Conan's ear. He could feel the child letting out a sigh of relief as he returned the embrace. A warm fuzzy feeling enveloped around his heart as he closed his eyes and tightened his arms around his little alter-ego. Yes, he definitely appreciated what he gained from being Conan.

* * *

"How're you feeling, Kuroba-kun?"

"Other than feeling like I just got ran over by a truck, I think I'm fine…"

Suddenly aware of the voices right next to him, the boy detective opened his eyes and jerked his head towards the source of the voices, where he found one Kuroba Kaito and a beautiful girl dressed in black who he had never met next to his bed. He blinked again and looked at his surrounding, recognizing that he was in the same hospital room that he was staying for the past week or so.

"Ah, good evening, Conan-kun."

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night, Kaito-niichan?" Taking a quick glimpse at the clock on the wall, Conan's raised an eyebrow at a rather tired-looking Kaito, and then at the girl who was currently smirking next to him. He was rather surprised that Kaito visited with company at such an unearthly hour. He better had a good explanation for it!

Noticing the pointed stare from Conan, the girl proceeded to introduce herself. "Nice to meet you, Edogawa-kun, I'm Koizumi Akako, Kuroba-kun's classmate. I'm merely here to retrieve this from you." Without another word, Akako reached into Conan's palm, and that's when he realized that he had been holding an amethyst pendant. She held the jewelry up for inspection as a sly smile spread itself across her face.

"Well, Kuroba-kun, while it's regrettable to say that neither of our plans had gone as expected, I was certainly amused by how a mere human like you managed to completely drain its power… Normal people would probably be completely knocked out cold for a few days by its power, yet all you got was some headache, mild vertigo, and fatigue." To illustrate her point, Akako turned the amethyst pendant around, revealing a large crack in its center, before tucking it away. "It was indeed disappointing that things didn't work out as I wished, but…" Akako paused as she shifted her eyes over to Kaito and Conan, and breathed out a quiet sigh as if she had just made up her mind to give up something. "Anyhow, I must take my leave now. See you at school tomorrow, Kuroba-kun. Take care, Edogawa-kun." At a blink, the girl disappeared in a flash of red light, leaving no traces of her existence behind. Conan stared still at the space in front of him, wondering if his eyes just deceived him. Kaito didn't seem to be surprised at all, though.

"...I would pinch myself in the face to see if I'm hallucinating, but I figure I should see if you have anything to say first before I decide whether or not I'm suffering from a delayed post-op delirium."

Kaito laughed at that. "I don't think anyone would sound this logical if they were delirious." With a quiet sigh, Kaito took a seat next to Conan. "Well, where should I begin…"

* * *

Conan wasn't sure if this was just a big April's Fool joke, or if Kaito had finally turned insane (Nakamori-keibu would probably disagree as he already categorized Kaitou KID into the 'maniac' category since ages ago). According to Kaito, he had a dream based on his subconsciously envisioned past, and that amethyst pendant – whatever it was called – had the power to alter his past. Supposedly Kaito took part in prompting him to make the right choices, but it had ultimately failed because Shinichi didn't follow most of his prompts and Kaitou KID didn't cease to exist – yeah, that _totally _made sense whatsoever. Though that'd explain the surreal thought processes he had before he woke up. Oh, and Kaito just said that Akako girl was a witch who offered to help for her own reasons. Apparently real magic existed. Conan wasn't sure how he should react anymore so he resorted to shooting eye daggers at the part-time phantom thief.

"...I would appreciate it if you could stop firing you eye-laser at me. It might be brain damaging." Kaito said in a defeated yet giddy tone.

"Oh, I'm sure your brain is already damaged as is. A bit more damaging wouldn't hurt."

"Tantei-kun, you wounded me!" Kaito exclaimed as he mockingly put on a hurt expression. Obviously Conan wasn't buying any of it.

The child detective sighed as he tuned into his serious tone. "I'm surprised that you believed something like this would actually work."

"Well if an immortality-granting gemstone exists, then a past-altering quartz could exist too…"

"Have you thought of the potential consequences? While it's a bit blurry to me now, I still clearly remember that you were trying to get yourself shot back in that dream or illusion or whatever. What if you died for real?"

"I wouldn't. Kaitou KID is invincible, remember?" As if to prove his point, Kaito flashed his trademark KID smirk across his face along with a handful of confetti that popped right out of midair above them at a snap of his fingers.

"…" Conan deadpanned at Kaito's response and proceeded to flop back onto his bed in exhaustion. He felt dumb worrying about the reckless magician sitting next to him (he conveniently ignored a quiet nagging voice in his mind that reminded him how reckless he could be as well). Perhaps he should've let the sniper get the idiot instead of saving him. It's not fair that he's stuck in a hospital bed with said idiot grinning right next to him. Oh, who was he kidding? He wouldn't let a stranger get hurt in front of him if he could help it, let alone someone close to him. Hadn't he came into realization that Kaito was too important for him to–

Suddenly aware of the new insight that was slapped onto his face from that surreal thought processes moments ago, Conan immediately buried himself under his pillow to prevent the pinkness that's fading into his cheeks from being seen. If that dream or illusion or whatever was really based on his subconsciousness, then h–he had chosen Kaito over Ran– wait, he liked Kaito?! Oh kami above, since when had he fallen that low?! _Okay, calm down Shinichi. Take some deep breath. Keep that ungraceful squeak from escaping your mouth._ He said to himself as he tried to dig out his usual calm and composed self from the swirl of emotions he's currently experiencing. His heart skipped a beat in an undignified manner as he felt Kaito's hand on his shoulder.

"Kudou, even if you're mad at me you shouldn't suffocate yourself… I'm really sorry for everything that happened. I really am."

Conan snuck out of his pillow-shield and found himself faced with a genuinely apologetic looking Kaito. Okay, he could understand that Kaito's desperate action (after all he went as far as to rely on magic) was based on the fact that he felt guilty about him getting shot, but hadn't they had this conversation already? He never blamed Kaito for what happened and it really frustrated him how the idiot was still beating himself up over the matter. Soooo _stubborn_. "Kuroba, I'm not mad at you anymore, and I have said it a million times already, it's not your fault so stop moping over it!"

"But– "

"No buts! If you sulk for another second, I'm gonna kick the IV pole right at that thick and stubborn head of yours!"

His glare relaxed as Kaito burst into laughter. "I don't think you should do that. Your incisions would probably split right open."

"Then stop trying to agitate me by coming up with anymore dumb ideas."

"It wasn't a dumb idea! I think…" Kaito nervously scratched his cheek and tried to laugh things off. "Well, it's good to know that at least you're feeling energetic."

"Yup, other than this dull pain on my chest and the headache you just gave me, I feel perfectly fine. So why don't you go home and let me rest? You do realize it's already past midnight and _kids_ like me are supposed to be asleep." Conan faked a big yawn to get his point across. It's not like he's sleepy or anything, but it's more like he wanted some alone time to sort out everything that just happened, especially the new insight about Kaito that just struck him.

"W-Wait, Kudou, there's something I wanted to ask you!" Kaito stuttered, looked away, before facing Conan again. That earned himself a raised eyebrow from Conan, who gestured him to continue. "W-Why did you reject Ran-san? I still found it shocking that you said no to her, illusion or not… "

Conan deadpanned for the second time of the night. He so didn't feel like having a chat about his romantic interest right now, especially when the subject of his mind being the other participant of the conversation. "I believe I said that I consider Ran like a family now. It's hard not to after calling her 'nee-chan' for so long–"

"Then is Ai-chan the one who you liked?" Kaito persuaded.

"…No." Oh crap, his headache was getting stronger. Perhaps he should ask the nurse for a Tylenol. "Look Kuroba, can't we leave this–"

"Please don't tell me it's Ayumi-chan…"

"What? NO! I'm not a pedo!" Hiding under his pillow-shield again, Conan wished the ground would open up to swallow him now, as Kaito continued to make more and more outrageous guesses, with him mumbling a "no" here and there. He didn't get why Kaito wouldn't settle with the "he doesn't like anyone at the moment" answer, but he certainly started to question himself _why _he felt attracted to idiotic magician.

Part of Conan felt relieved when Kaito got kicked out by the night nurse (he really didn't need to hear more horrifying guesses), while another part of him felt a slight pang of disappointment that Kaito himself wasn't one of the guesses, and he really wasn't sure what to think of it. He was just surprised that despite how much the magician's idiocy has irritated him earlier, it didn't change the fact that he still considered Kaito as someone very important to him. It warmed him to know how much Kaito cared about him, evident by how he still felt guilty about the incident and tried to make it up in his own silly way.

Speaking of which, who did Kaito like right now? It certainly didn't seem like that Akako girl from earlier, judging from the way they interacted. Kaito had mentioned that his childhood friend Nakamori Aoko was dating Hakuba Saguru now, so she's probably not it either. While Conan was curious, he was feeling too tired to think about it anymore with the way his brain was bombarded by Kaito for the past few minutes. As Conan slowly drifted into sleep, he briefly wondered if he'd have said "yes" had Kaito suggested himself, and how Kaito would've reacted. Maybe… maybe he'll tell Kaito himself someday after they destroy the black organization and after he regained his original body, but would it cost their already established friendship? Oh well, more food for thoughts later.

_End._

* * *

**Afterwords:** Finally, first chapter-story complete! Hope it wasn't too confusing. I had fun writing the idiotic!Kaito at the end. XD Thank you to those who have stayed and finished reading this whole story, and please review to feed my chibi-sized assertiveness. \^q^/ Big thanks to _Midnight1906, Alaena F. Dragonstar, MConanfan0327, _and_ Mai-chan63_ for reviewing chapter 4, and everyone who fav-ed/alert-ed this ^_^ Apologies for dragging this on for so long, school had been really busy (with 32-64 hours of co-op every week), but at least I have completed all the midterm requirements accordingly. =D Happy Halloween by the way, please have fun and be safe.

PS. _Ran_ means _orchid _in Japanese, and of course _clover_ represents _Kuroba_ Kaito.

**Edit**: Dropped my sequel idea, sorry ;w;


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